Fullmetal Alchemist: Phoenix
by 2019OtakuOverlord
Summary: Thirteen years passed after the defeat of Father. Edward finally cracks the key to human transmutation, among other formerly impossible feats... Tim Marcoh and General Mustang try to convince him to get his alchemy back so that he could make them truly become real instead of mere theories. Unbeknownst to them, a new enemy arises. One that hopes to use the Elric brothers...


It has been thirteen years since Edward and Alphonse Elric completed their goals of getting their bodies back. Although Edward still lacked an arm, he was happy to have gotten Alphonse back to normal.

Alphonse had left to pursue the knowledge of alchemy in other countries, Edward stayed back to raise a family with Winry and his job at the Alchemist School in Central.

Ed and Winry had two children. A son named Hughes, and a daughter named Nina. Both named after dear friends who were lost thanks to the monstrous Fuhrer.

Although Ed no longer possessed alchemy, his knowledge continued to grow on the subject. So much so Mustang assigned him to be a professor at the school to prevent the next generations of alchemists from becoming the tyrant weapons of old.

Edward started to look a lot like Hohenheim, a beard beginning to grow and everything. Today, his class was focusing on the topics of the greatest taboo.

Edward: As you all know. There are taboos among alchemy. Can anyone tell me what they are?

Student1: Making you tall.

Fire shot out from Edward's eyes as he bonked the student on the head and screamed at him at the top of his lungs, all the students could do meanwhile was laugh.

Edward: Damn it I told you… I'm not short!

Student1: But you were hailed to be the Short Alchemist back in the day. Your brother was Fullmetal.

Edward: Get the hell out! My brother never passed the exams! He never took the exams! I was the Fullmetal Alchemist!

Student1: Tch… so what happened?

Edward: The greatest taboo an alchemist can make… which brings me back to the question… what are the taboos?!

Student2: The greatest taboo is human transmutation. An art that is strictly forbidden because of the risk of an immortal army forming. In other words, an army where the dead can just be brought back. It also would cause issues for insurance companies for the richer cities. Above all else though, the contradictions. The next taboo being the art of transmuting lead into gold, and other jewels, as they would disrupt the economy.

Edward: Very good.

Student1: Contradictions?

Edward: Yes. Me and my brother tried to resurrect our mother. We had no one else, we were just small boys trying to play God. We flew too close to the sun and came crashing down burning with empty hands. Alphonse wanted to hold our mother in his arms again, as a result, his body was taken. My teacher wanted to bring back her child, as a result, she could no longer bear children.

Student2: Then how is that equivalence?

Edward: You lose something, to learn something in return. The loss of my arm and legs gave me the ability to transmute without a transportation circle. The lesson afterward was the loss of my knowledge, to restore Alphonse's body.

Just then Mustang barged in and pulled Ed aside, bringing him to a secret location with Doctor Marcoh.

Ed: Colonel Mustang?

Mustang: How many times do I have to remind you, it is Brigadier General now… soon to be Fuhrer. The old guy is on his deathbed…

The two made it to a wall deep within the catacombs. Edward put in the passcode, Hohenheim of Light, and the door opened.

Edward: Why take me to my bunker?

Mustang: Well I figured the great Fullmetal Professor wouldn't want this knowledge getting out.

Edward: What knowledge?

Marcoh: Bringing back your alchemy.

Edward: Wh-what do you mean?  
Marcoh: I am dying, Ed… before I go though, I can open the gate, and trade my knowledge to give yours back.

Ed: No. I won't accept. The risk of me playing God again, it is one I don't want to take. I've learned my lesson, undoing what taught me it would be pointless.

Mustang: I understand your reasoning, but think about it. All this research, it is being put to waste here!

Marcoh: Mustang showed me some of the documents… I am choosing to do this because I feel you are the best person to be my successor as a medical alchemist. Your research is phenomenal!

Edward suddenly snapped.

Edward: You told him about my research?!

Mustang: I don't see the issue, Fullmetal. Your Electric Alchemy, Transplant Alchemy, and all of the other research would be valuable. Not to mention… you could get your arm back.

Edward: They are only theories. I spent years figuring out what went wrong in every former human transmutation, every attempt at a chimera separation. And yet. It has never been tested on whether I am right.

Mustang: And what if it is right? You could prevent another Nina incident from ever happening again! This futile argument, your lesson, it is a selfish reason to hold this back!

Edward grabbed Mustang by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

Edward: S-sorry… but don't you ever bring Nina into this… you never saw that innocent face, how much she loved her father… then the broken spirit as she was betrayed and turned into a chimera. You didn't have the connection with her, the heartbreak when she was murdered!

Mustang: Maybe not. But I do know how hurt you are from it. Even after all these years. Why else would you name your daughter after her?

Marcoh: Don't push it Mustang. If he doesn't want it, we shouldn't force it on him.

Edward: It isn't just that… there are risks I found in my research.

He motioned them out, bringing them to another bunker, Mustang's. He shoved Mustang over, telling him to open the door.

Marcoh: I still can't believe you came up with this design… so sophisticated.

Edward: Alchemy involves the art of knowing, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. If you don't know what the matter is, you cannot transmute it. Making an alloy capable of withstanding any blast, and also having its contents unknown, would make the vault impenetrable. Perfect for secret information.

Mustang: Father Bradley.

The door opened, they stepped in, going in to study the body of King Bradley and the Immortal Legion. Here they kept the knowledge of the Fuhrer's true self, as well as the other homunculi.

Edward: Human transmutations failed by creating monsters that died soon after their creation. The philosopher's stone changed that with the homunculi. Their bodies underwent an alchemical reaction to keep them from death until the stones ran out of souls.

Mustang: What does that have to do with him?

Edward: The philosopher's stone only can break the law of equivalent exchange. Not break human transmutation limits. My theory is that all other human transmutations failed because the measurements were wrong. But not just that… they failed because we simply didn't understand the human body enough to transmute it back to normal functions. As a result… the rebound happened.

Mustang: Your point, Elric?

Edward: Fuhrer Bradley died of old age. Not from the injuries. The other homunculi didn't suffer that fate because they weren't human.

Marcoh: In other words… there is a chemical property in us that wasn't present for them. One in which the philosopher's stone was unable to counteract.

Edward: Correct… and that property was chromosomes. Strands of DNA in all of us. Over time, when our bodies regenerate or as we grow, the telomeres in the chromosomes get shorter. My research links it with a life span. The shorter they get, the less time you have to live.

Marcoh: I see… the risk is that the medical alchemy could damage the telomeres and kill the patient. Should their injuries be drastic enough anyway.

Edward: In the case of a chimera diffusion. The issue is knowing what created them, and keeping their chromosomes separate.

Edward then reached towards Bradley's eye, pulling it out to reveal the philosopher's stone. Mustang and Marcoh leaned in closer, amazed by this.

Edward: I've been using it in my experiments. Same with my father's. Over time, I learned that the souls deserve to be set free. Instead of being trapped in a stone for eternity. Observe…

He used the stone to create a homunculus arm, then transplanted it onto himself. Showing that it is possible, the genetics are what hold them back though. With organs, a homunculus based material would be rejected.

Edward: I did take note though, that alchemy would allow us to replicate human anatomy so it won't reject us. It would take time though…

Marcoh: You're only proving my point more Ed. No one knows more about the subject than you.

Just then, a soldier interrupted with a transmission to General Mustang. Triggering a level nine security protocol.

Mustang: What is it Hawkeye?

Hawkeye: It's Alphonse… he is in danger.

Mustang: Well Fullmetal… care to tag along?

Meanwhile, Alphonse awakes and sees his cage of imprisonment. He notices two mysterious entities in front of him, he questions who they are and why they captured him.

Shadow: Well… who wouldn't want to meet one of the infamous Elric brothers? Especially when they were able to take down Bradley. Oh yes, I am well aware of that whole mess. Similarly, I know you and your brother both committed a great taboo of alchemy. I'm curious about how that affected you…

Alphonse began to rive in complete agony as he was beginning to be tortured. The mysterious man used a pair of pliers, pulling out Al's toe and fingernails. Blood started to drip, only to be collected for later experiments.

Next time on Fullmetal Alchemist: Phoenix. Edward is faced with a tough decision when told about Alphonse's condition. What will the Elrics do now? Find out next time.

Next time on Fullmetal Alchemist: Phoenix. Edward is faced with a tough decision when told about Alphonse's condition. What will the Elrics do now? Find out next time.


End file.
